Title: Describe the concepts and importance of confidentiality and patients’ rights and responsibilities.
Course: Surgical Technologist I (14056-I) > Section: Understanding Medical Ethics

Description should include the purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its connection to patient confidentiality and the types of information that must be kept confidential.

Description should also include the patient’s basic rights, as established by the American Hospital Association’s Patient Care Partnership (formerly the Patients’ Bill of Rights), including the following patient expectations during a hospital stay:

- High-quality hospital care
- A clean and safe environment
- Involvement in his/her care
- Protection of medical privacy
- Help when leaving the hospital
- Help with billing claims

Description should also include the patient’s responsibility to:

- participate in their own care
- disclose medical information pertinent to their treatment
- adhere to the policies and procedures of the institution.

Process/Skill Questions:

- How is the Patient Care Partnership applied in the surgical setting?
- What is the main point of HIPAA? Why do patients have a legal right to medical privacy?
- What can be the results for infringing medical personnel if patient information is not kept confidential? What can be the results for the hospital? For the patient?